Safety device for elevators.



J. M. FAULKNER. SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6,.1907.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. M. PAULKNER. SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. e, 1907.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

JAMES: M. FAULKNEE, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 29, 1911- Application filed September 6, 1907. Serial No. 391,656. 7

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES M. FAULKNER,

a citizen of the United States, residing in Rhlladelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Safety Devices for Elevators, of which the following is a specification.

One object of my invention is to provide a relatively simple and reliable device for I also desire to provide an elevator safety stop device which shall be certain in action as well as unlikely to get out of order'or require frequentattention or repairs, its construc tio n being suchthat it shall operate to stop the car in the event of a breakage of its suspending cables without permitting said car to attain an excessiveor dangerous speed. c 7

Another object is to provide a device applicable to an elevator car which shall at all times be in condition to automatically bring the elevator car to rest, and which after having acted shall automatically return to' a condition ready for further use, at the same time being capable .of control by an operator in the elevator car if this be desired.

It is further desired to provide anelevator car with mechanism whereby it shall be gradually -.retarded in its downward movement after leaving each floor until it has approached to within a predetermined distance of another floor, after which such car shall be automatically released.

These objects and other advantageous ends l secure as hereinafter set forth, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, in

. which Figure 1, is a diagrammatic side elevation of an elevator shaft illustrating an elevator car therein and provided with vmy invention; Fig. 2, is -a side elevation on a larger scale than'Fig. 1 and also to some extentdiagrammatic, illustrating 1n detail the construction of the "arious parts of my invention, and Fig. 3,'is a front elevation of one Q of the movable ladder like or toothed structures forming part of the device.

' of a link f.

ways (not shown) for said car. In .addition, the shaft is provided with auxiliary guide Way's B on opposite sides thereof, on which are mounted vertically movable'ladder like or toothed structures or racks C having, in the form of my invention illustrated transverse members or rungs 0. To the upper end of each of these structures C is attached a cable 9 which, after passing around a pulley 9* supported in any desired manner at the top ofthe shaft, extends downwardly around a pulley g and again upwardly to a point of supportg. Each I pulley g isattached to the end of a piston rod 9- operating in a cylinder G and provided with a piston 9 The cylinders G are relatively long,.usually half as long as the distance between the'floorsof the building having the elevator shaft, and each of them i has at its upper end, one or more inwardly opening check valves 9. At each floor of the building are placed cams J projecting outwardly from points adjacent to the'ladder like structures or racks C.

The elevator car has suspended from its under side a pair of links F and each of these has pivoted to it a lever f and one end The two links f are pivotallyconnected under the center of the car and may, if desired, have connected to theme.

downwardly acting-spring f tending at all times to swing outwardly the lower ends of the links F and bring the two links f into the saine straight line.

The levers f are weighted at their adjacent or inner ends as indicated atf, and are prevented from turning on their pivotal supports (carried by the lower ends of the links F)'by means of stout pins F.

The outer arms of the levers f project sufficiently to engage with the rungs or teeth 0 of the ladder like structures or racks G and are preferably curved on the upper side of their outer ends so. as to easily pass the teeth or rungs 0 when moved bodily upward, as when the elevator car is raised in the shaft. On the descent of the car however,

they are maintained by the weights f in such a position as to engage said teeth or Tungs and are prevented from turning on be moved inwardly to such an extent as to: temporarily dra'w sai d outer endsfout of engagement with the, teeth-or rungs'c.

With this arrangement of parts it will be seen that as the car is raised in the shaft, the outer ends of the levers f strike sues .cessively against the teeth or rungs c without interfering with the movemenhof the. car. As soon, however, as the car, moves downwardly, either under normal conditions v or under the conditions existing on account of the breakage of the suspending-cables, the outer ends of the levers engage the teeth or rungs c and thereby lock the car to the ladder like structures or racks C. These are thereafter moved downwardly by grav- 1ty acting on the car and consequently cause "an upward movement of'the pistons g in their cylinders G, which is resisted by the vacuum formed below said pistons and also by reason of the compression of the airin saidcylinders above the pistons owing to the action of the valves 9. A gradually increasing retarding force is thus inserted on the elevator car. This is thereafter brought to rest when the compression of the air in The compressed air Within the cylinders G the cylinders has reached a certain point, and when such action takes place under normal conditions of-operatioii', the various parts are so arranged that as'the car appreaches a-fioor'in' its descent, the cams J Wlll act to move inwardly the levers f and mal positions ready to be again engaged by the levers on the elevator car, when this continues its descent. Under abnormal conditions, as when the car starts to drop in its shaft, even though the cams J act to disconnect the levers f from the teeth or racks at thefirst floor passed, the downward movement of the car would be sufficiently rapid, though still not excessive or danger ous, as to cause said levers to pass said cams and to engage thetoothed structures before these had been returned to their relative normal positions by the compressed air in the cylinders. Consequently, the comp res-' sion of the air in said cylinders would be carried to a much higher point than before, until it was sufficient to bring the falling car to absolute rest. It

will. thus be seen that under normal operating conditions the descent of the car is accompanied by a successive pulling" down and releasing of the two ladder like structures or racks,-While undenabnorinal-conditions these latter "arecaused to operate upon the car so as to bring it to restbefore it reacheslthe bottom ofthe shaft, and

that without permitting itto attain an excessive speed.

' If desired, Iimay under some conditions,

employ a foot piece'K within the car and connect this by means ofa lever hand a piece would :be normally maintainedx i niitheg raised position shown, though by it an operator could so move the'links f and the levers as to hold the latter in such position as or rungs of the ladder or rack-,9 I

I claim:-

1. The combination with'an elevatoncar to prevent their engagement with thevte'e'th" "link-k with one of the links f. This'foot of a vertically movable rack-likestruoturefmounted adjacent thereto; an aircushio'ning device including means; for normally.1'nai n'-fv taining said raek-l'ikestru'cture in "anflevated posltion arranged-t0"retardmovement' of said structure;andv means on'ithe car for' automatically and successively'engaging and .disengaging the rack-like structure to alter;

nately connect it to and disconnect it from said car as the latter moves downwardly.

2. The combination withan elevator car,

of a rack like structure *vertica'llymovable' adjacent to the samefm'eanswhereby said structure is normally maintained-in a raised" position', with mechanism 1 carried" by='the 1 car;

and independent of vthersuspensiona means thereof for automatically connecting tsaidj rack like structure .to the CaRlWheIlGVGI' the latter is moved downwardunder normal op-- erating conditions. a

3. The combination withvanelevator car ofa vertically movable rack .like structure mounted adjacent thereto, means for normally maintaining ,said structure "in an ele'.

vated position, a device carried by. the vcari for engaging the rack like structure {and connecting it to the iea r; vwhen the latterds moved downwardly, -.and means for automatically disconnectin'gthe car, and the;

structure at-a predetermined point.

4. The combination with an elevator car, of a. vertically movable structure adjacent thereto, means constructed to successively connect and disconnect said structure and car a predetermined number of times as the latter moves downwardly, and means for r tarding .the downward movement offsaid structure. he

5. The combination iwitnan elevator car of a vertically movable/structure mounte adjacent thereto, naeans for",- applying a adjacent thereto; I'nean sI'on the car =placed, to automatically engage and then disengage 1 fixed support and'passed around said pul- I second, ends of the cables, with mechanism wardly.

adjacent thereto, means for applying a able structure and car when the car moves,

gage the teeth of said structure or strucvof cylinders each having an inwardlyopengradually increasing retarding force to said structure when the latter is moved downwardly, and automatically acting'means for mechanically connecting said structure and 'the ear each time the car moves down- 7. The combination with an velevator car, of a vertically movable structure mounted gradually increasing retarding force to said structure when the latter'is moved downwardly, automatically acting means for mechanically connecting said vertically movtures each time the car moves downwardly, and means for applying a retarding force to resist the downward movement of said structure or structures. v

' 9. The combination with an elevator car,

ing valve at one end, a piston for each cylinder, a pulley connected to each piston, cables each having one. end attached to a leys respectively, an elevator car, vertically movable rack structures mounted adjacent to the car and respectively connected to the 'on the car capable -of engagingsaid rack structures.

10. The combination with an elevator car,

of a bar mounted thereon, a vertically movconnected to each other and respectively pivoted to said first links, a lever pivoted to .eaehvof the first links and provided with meanswhereby its movement on its fulcrum is limited, vertically movable rack structures mounted so as to be capable of engagement by said levers, a pulley mounted above each rack structure, cylinders, pistons therein, a pulley attached to each piston an cables each having one end connected to a rack structure and passing around one set of said pulleys, the second end of each cable being attached to a fixed support.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- JAMES M.-FAI.TLKNERJ.

' Witnessesi WILLIAM E; BRADLEY,

J0s. H. KLEIN.

Copies of this patent-may be obtained for five cents eaeh, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G l 

